Pressure-applying garment for animals

ABSTRACT

An animal garment comprising a central portion including a front end configured to be proximate to the head, a rear end, a first side extending laterally in a first direction, and a second side extending laterally in a second direction. A first flap extends from the central portion, the first side, the second side, or a combination thereof, and a second flap extends from the central portion, the first side, the second side, or a combination thereof. The first side, the first flap, the second side and the second flap are configured to extend around the mid-body of the animal and form a shape conforming to the outside of the mid-body of the animal when the garment is worn. The garment is configured to apply pressure to the animal to reduce anxiety, fearfulness, overexcitement, or a combination thereof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/514,303, filed Jul. 17, 2019, currently pending, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/557,028, filed Dec.1, 2014, currently pending, which is a continuation of U.S. applicationSer. No. 13/896,843, filed May 17, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,899,189,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/657,364,now U.S. Pat. No. 8,459,211, filed Oct. 22, 2012, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/769,735, filed Apr.29, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,867, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/218,620, filed Jun. 19, 2009, thecontents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

Animals may suffer from various types of anxiety, fearfulness, oroverexcitement. Such feelings or behaviors are common problems for dogs,for example, and can present many symptoms and severity levels. On theless extreme end of the spectrum, a fear of thunder may cause the dog toshake and cling to her owner. On the other extreme, the fear may causepanicked running, destructive chewing, defecating indoors, seizures, orother erratic behavior. Additional known symptoms include panting,drooling, whining, barking, hiding, seeking tight spaces, trembling,scratching, not eating, and pacing. Some owners are not aware thatnegative behavior they are seeing is actually caused by anxiety. Inaddition to noises, other sources of anxiety may include separation fromowner(s), travel, crating, strangers, other dogs, and much more.

Determining what causes a dog's anxiety may be difficult or impossibleto pinpoint. The start of the anxiety may in some cases be traced to atraumatic incident such as being too close to a fireworks show or tooclose to a lightning strike and the subsequent thunder clap. However, adog may have a genetic predisposition for noise or other types ofanxiety. Studies have shown that some breeds, such as Collies, GoldenRetrievers, and German Shepherds, have a higher incidence of noiseanxiety. For some dogs, noise anxiety gradually appears and worsens asthey age for no apparent reason, while for others, noise anxiety appearsas a puppy and stays with them.

There are several known treatments to consider for giving relief to adog from anxiety. For example, for noise anxiety, the owner may changethe dog's environment with “common sense” attempts to give the dogcomfort. Efforts may include creating a safe haven for the dog, such asa blanket-covered crate, finding a location that will reduce the noiselevel, or turning on music or the television to help mask the sound ofthe problem noise. These efforts, however, typically do not showdramatic results, but they can help to reduce symptoms.

A second treatment approach is behavior modification. For example,desensitization is one of the most common behavior modifications triedfor noise anxiety. In a controlled environment, the dog is exposed to alow level of the noise. As she becomes accustomed to the noise, thevolume is increased over time until she learns to tolerate a high levelof noise. This approach has limitations in practice; it is very timeconsuming, in some cases it is not effective because many dogs recognizethe difference between artificial and real events, and if it iseffective, the dog will likely require ongoing periodic treatments.

A third treatment approach is medication. There are a variety ofprescription medications that a veterinarian may suggest. Some areadministered on a regular basis for the life of the dog (Paroxetine orFluoxetine), while others are given only at the time of an anxiety event(valium). Sometimes a combination of drugs is used. Any of these optionstend to be relatively expensive when accounting for the veterinarianvisits and the drug costs, and the medications pose a risk of unwantedphysical side effects that may be severe.

A final form of treatment is a “pressure wrap.” A pressure wrap ismaterial that wraps around the dog's torso, in particular the chest andsometimes the stomach, to provide a constant, gentle pressure. It isuncertain why wraps are effective, but anxiety experts such as Dr.Temple Grandin suggest that pressure has a calming effect on the nervoussystem. Examples of using pressure to calm anxiety include pressureshirts for people with autism, squeeze chutes for cattle, pressureshirts and weighted vests for children with certain behavioraldisorders, and swaddling infants. This treatment has been proven veryeffective for many dogs. Some wraps are homemade, for example, out of anappropriately sized t-shirt, but wraps can be difficult to put on andget the desired fit. Some conventional pressure wraps lack ease inapplying the wrap and may be difficult to adjust to the right pressure.

SUMMARY

A garment is provided for an animal having a first pair of appendages, asecond pair of appendages, and a head, the animal having a mid-bodybetween the first pair of appendages and the second pair of appendages.The garment comprises a central portion having a longitudinal axis, thecentral portion comprising a front end configured to be proximate to thehead of the animal when the garment is worn, a rear end opposite thefront end, a first side extending laterally in a first direction fromthe longitudinal axis, and a second side extending laterally in a seconddirection from the longitudinal axis. A first flap extends from thecentral portion, the first side, the second side, or a combinationthereof, the first flap including a free distal end, an inside surface,and an outside surface. A second flap extends from the central portion,the first side, the second side, or a combination thereof, the secondflap including a free distal end, an inside surface, and an outsidesurface. The first side, the first flap, the second side and the secondflap are configured to extend around the mid-body of the animal and forma shape conforming to the outside of the mid-body of the animal when thegarment is worn. The garment is configured to apply pressure to theanimal to reduce anxiety, fearfulness, overexcitement, or a combinationthereof.

In another aspect, a garment is provided for an animal having a firstpair of appendages, a second pair of appendages, and a head, the animalhaving a mid-body between the first pair of appendages and the secondpair of appendages. The garment comprises a central portion having alongitudinal axis, the central portion comprising a front end configuredto be proximate to the head of the animal when the garment is worn, arear end opposite the front end, a first side extending laterally in afirst direction from the longitudinal axis, and a second side extendinglaterally in a second direction from the longitudinal axis. A first flapextends from the central portion, the first side, the second side, or acombination thereof. A second flap extends from the central portion, thefirst side, the second side, or a combination thereof. The first side,the second side, the first flap and the second flap are configured toextend around the mid-body of the animal and form a shape conforming tothe outside of the mid-body of the animal when the garment is worn. Thegarment is configured to apply pressure to the animal to reduce anxiety,fearfulness, overexcitement, or a combination thereof. The garment isconfigured such that when the garment is worn by the animal, the firstflap is attached to the first side and at least a portion of the firstflap overlaps the second side, the second flap, or a combinationthereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of embodiments of a pressure-applyinggarment for animals and associated methods, reference should now be hadto the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and describedbelow. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a pressure-applyinggarment as worn by an exemplary animal.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of the pressure-applyinggarment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of thepressure-applying garment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6A-6D are perspective views of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showingvarious stages of putting the garment on an exemplary animal.

DESCRIPTION

Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to betaken as a limitation on the embodiments described. For example, wordssuch as “top”, “bottom”, “front,” “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,”“horizontal,” “vertical,” “upward,” and “downward” merely describe theconfiguration shown in the figures. Indeed, the referenced componentsmay be oriented in any direction and the terminology, therefore, shouldbe understood as encompassing such variations unless specifiedotherwise. Throughout this disclosure, where a process or method isshown or described, the steps of the method may be performed in anyorder or simultaneously, unless it is clear from the context that onestep depends on another being performed first.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designatecorresponding or similar elements throughout the several views, anembodiment of a pressure wrap garment 20 is shown in FIGS. 1-3. Althoughin FIG. 1 the garment is shown on a dog, the garment 20 may be appliedto nearly any type of animal with four legs, or two arms and two legs.For example, in addition to a dog, the garment 20 may be worn by a cator a monkey. This embodiment of the garment 20, 20 a includes a centralportion 24 having a longitudinal axis A-A, a left strap 26 and a rightstrap 28 extending from the front of the central portion 24approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis A-A, a long flap 30extending from the right side of the central portion 24 substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis A-A, a short flap 32 extendingfrom the left side of the central portion 24 substantially perpendicularto the longitudinal axis A-A, and a top flap or cinching member 34 thatis attached to the central portion 24 substantially along a longitudinalaxis A-A of the central portion. The top of the garment 20 a is shown inFIG. 2, and the bottom of the garment 20 a is shown in FIG. 3. As wornby a dog 40, the left strap 26 and the right strap 28 go around thedog's neck and fasten to each other, with the bottom of the right strap28 going over the top of the left strap 26. The long flap 30 goes aroundthe dog's chest and stomach to fasten to the short flap 32, with thebottom of the long flap 30 going over the top of the short flap 32. Thecinching member 34 folds down to fasten to the top of the long flap 30.Alternatively, the cinching member 34 could fold down to fasten to thecentral portion 24.

In the embodiment shown, hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro®(VELCRO is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries B.V.), are usedto removably attach the parts of the garment to each other. The hookmaterial is designated at 42, and the loop material is designated at 44,but the materials may be switched so long as a hook surface meets a loopsurface when the material is brought together. Other fasteners may beused as recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art, such as a seriesof buttons or snaps, or a combination of webbed straps and clips.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show another embodiment of a pressure-applying garment 20b. The garment 20 b is constructed similarly to the garment 20 a ofFIGS. 2 and 3, but includes on the left strap 26 on the top surface(FIG. 4) a portion near the end of the strap that is hook material 42,while on the bottom surface (FIG. 5) of the right strap 28 a portionthat is loop material 44. Including both materials 42, 44 on the matingstraps assist in maintaining the straps around the animal's neck withoutsagging. The embodiments of the garments 20 a, 20 b of FIGS. 2 and 3 andFIGS. 4 and 5 are further embodiments of the garment 20 embodiment ofFIG. 1.

The material used for the garment 20 may have a composition that ranges,for example, from 5% to 25% spandex. The remainder of the material maybe or include, for example, cotton and polyester. In one embodiment, thefabric may be made of 10% spandex, 55% cotton, and 35% polyester, or maybe made of material of approximately that composition. Other fabrics andcombinations of materials may be used as recognized by one of ordinaryskill in the art, so long as the material exhibits a degree ofelasticity that provides an expandable and flexible, yet snug, fit withpressure adequate to relieve anxiety, fearfulness, overexcitement, or acombination thereof, in the animal, and resilience that allows thematerial to return approximately to its original size when removed fromthe animal. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the central portion 24,straps 26, 28, long flap 30, and short flap 32 are made of one piece ofmaterial, with two layers sewn together continuously along theperiphery. The cinching member 34 is sewn to the central portion 24along one edge of the cinching member 34. One alternative configurationto the cinching member 34 may include the use of fabric straps, webbedstraps, or elastic bands with clips or other connection means.

The garment 20 may be applied to an animal as shown in FIGS. 6A-6D.First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the garment 20 is placed on a back of thedog 40. Next, in FIG. 6B the long flap 30 is wrapped 50 under the dog'schest, stomach, and up the dog's left side and is secured with fastenersto the short flap 32 to achieve a comfortable, snug fit around the dog'smid-body, being the portion of the body between the dog's front and rearlegs. The cinching member 34 is then wrapped 52 down onto the long flap30 and is secured with fasteners in FIG. 6C, with some additionaltension imparted on the garment to apply additional pressure to the dog,which will still be comfortable for the dog and give the dog a sense ofsecurity. As shown in FIG. 6D, the straps 26, 28 may then be wrapped 54around the front of the dog 40 and secured with fasteners. If desired,the straps 26, 28 may be left attached when removing the garment 20 tosave the step of fastening them the next time the garment 20 is put onthe dog 40.

Although the embodiments described above have been shown and describedin considerable detail with respect to only a few exemplary embodimentsthereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that it isnot intended to be limited to these embodiments since variousmodifications, omissions and additions may be made to the disclosedembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages. The directions in which the flaps are folded could differfrom those shown and the lengths of the flaps may vary. For example, thelong flap 30 and the short flap 32 could be of equal length and fastenon top of the animal's back rather then on the lower side. The straps26, 28, the cinching member 34, or both, may be omitted. Accordingly, itis intended to cover all such modifications, omission, additions andequivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of apressure-applying garment and associated methods as defined by thefollowing claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses areintended to cover the structures described herein as performing therecited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalentstructures. Thus, although a nail and a screw may not be structuralequivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to securewooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface, in theenvironment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may beequivalent structures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A garment for an animal having a first pair ofappendages, a second pair of appendages, and a head, the animal having amid-body between the first pair of appendages and the second pair ofappendages, the garment comprising: a central portion having alongitudinal axis, the central portion comprising a front end configuredto be proximate to the head of the animal when the garment is worn, arear end opposite the front end, a first side extending laterally in afirst direction from the longitudinal axis, and a second side extendinglaterally in a second direction from the longitudinal axis; a first flapextending from the central portion, the first side, the second side, ora combination thereof, the first flap including a free distal end, aninside surface, and an outside surface; and a second flap extending fromthe central portion, the first side, the second side, or a combinationthereof, the second flap including a free distal end, an inside surface,and an outside surface, wherein the first side, the first flap, thesecond side and the second flap are configured to extend around themid-body of the animal and form a shape conforming to the outside of themid-body of the animal when the garment is worn, and wherein the garmentis configured to apply pressure to the animal to reduce anxiety,fearfulness, overexcitement, or a combination thereof.
 2. The garment ofclaim 1, wherein the central portion comprises a fabric that whenstretched provides resiliency.
 3. The garment of claim 2, wherein thefabric comprises from approximately 5% to 25% spandex.
 4. The garment ofclaim 1, wherein the garment is configured such that when the garment isworn by the animal, the first and second sides are fastened to eachother, and the first side overlaps the second side.
 5. A garment asrecited in claim 1, wherein each of the first side and the second sidehas an inside surface and an outside surface, wherein the outsidesurface of one of the first side or the second side includes hookfasteners or loop fasteners, and the inside surface of the other of thefirst side or the second side includes the other of hook fasteners orloop fasteners, and wherein the garment is configured such that when thegarment is worn by the animal, the hook fasteners and the loop fastenersare substantially adjacent to each other such that the first side isfastened to the second side.
 6. The garment of claim 1, wherein thefirst flap is attached at a proximal end to the central portion, thefirst side, the second side, or a combination thereof.
 7. The garment ofclaim 6, wherein the first flap is made of the same material as thecentral portion.
 8. The garment of claim 6, wherein the inside surfaceof the first flap is proximate to the animal when the garment is worn bythe animal.
 9. The garment of claim 1, wherein the second flap isattached at a proximal end to the central portion, the first side, thesecond side, or a combination thereof.
 10. The garment of claim 9,wherein the second flap is made of the same material as the centralportion.
 11. The garment of claim 9, wherein the inside surface of thesecond flap is proximate to the animal when the garment is worn by theanimal.
 12. The garment of claim 1, wherein the garment is configuredsuch that when the garment is worn by the animal, the first flap isfastened to the first side, the second side, the central portion, or acombination thereof.
 13. The garment of claim 1, wherein the garment isconfigured such that when the garment is worn by the animal, the secondflap is fastened to the first side, the second side, the first flap, thecentral portion, or a combination thereof.
 14. The garment of claim 13,wherein the outside surface of one of the first flap or the second flapincludes hook fasteners or loop fasteners, and the inside surface of theother of the first flap or the second flap includes the other of hookfasteners or loop fasteners, wherein the garment is configured such thatwhen the garment is worn by the animal, the hook fasteners and the loopfasteners are substantially adjacent to each other such that the firstflap is fastened to the second flap.
 15. The garment of claim 1, furthercomprising a third flap having an inside surface, an outside surface,and a free distal end, the third flap extending from the centralportion, the first side, the second side, or a combination thereof. 16.The garment of claim 15, wherein the third flap is attached at aproximal end to the central portion.
 17. The garment of claim 15,wherein the third flap is made of the same material as the centralportion.
 18. The garment of claim 15, wherein the third flap extends inthe first direction from the longitudinal axis.
 19. The garment of claim15, wherein the third flap extends in the second direction from thelongitudinal axis.
 20. The garment of claim 15, wherein the insidesurface of the third flap is proximate to the animal when the garment isworn by the animal.
 21. The garment of claim 15, wherein the garment isconfigured such that when the garment is worn by the animal, the thirdflap is fastened to the central portion, the first side, the secondside, the first flap, the second flap, or a combination thereof.
 22. Thegarment of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first flap, the secondflap, or the third flap has a width that extends along the longitudinalaxis more than one half of the distance between the front end and therear end of the central portion.
 23. The garment of claim 15, whereinone of the first flap, the second flap, or the third flap includes hookfasteners or loop fasteners on the inside surface and the outsidesurface.
 24. A garment for an animal having a first pair of appendages,a second pair of appendages, and a head, the animal having a mid-bodybetween the first pair of appendages and the second pair of appendages,the garment comprising: a central portion having a longitudinal axis,the central portion comprising a front end configured to be proximate tothe head of the animal when the garment is worn, a rear end opposite thefront end, a first side extending laterally in a first direction fromthe longitudinal axis, and a second side extending laterally in a seconddirection from the longitudinal axis; a first flap extending from thecentral portion, the first side, the second side, or a combinationthereof; and a second flap extending from the central portion, the firstside, the second side, or a combination thereof, wherein the first side,the second side, the first flap and the second flap are configured toextend around the mid-body of the animal and form a shape conforming tothe outside of the mid-body of the animal when the garment is worn,wherein the garment is configured to apply pressure to the animal toreduce anxiety, fearfulness, overexcitement, or a combination thereof,and wherein the garment is configured such that when the garment is wornby the animal, the first flap is attached to the first side and at leasta portion of the first flap overlaps the second side, the second flap,or a combination thereof.
 25. The garment of claim 24, wherein the firstflap is attached at its proximal end to the first side of the centralportion along one edge of the first flap.
 26. The garment of claim 24,wherein the second flap is attached at its proximal end to the secondside of the central portion along one edge of the second flap.
 27. Thegarment of claim 24, wherein the central portion, the first side, thesecond side, and the first flap comprise a fabric that when stretchedprovides resiliency.
 28. The garment of claim 27, wherein the fabriccomprises from approximately 5% to 25% spandex.
 29. The garment of claim24, further comprising a third flap extending in the first directionfrom the first side of the central portion, the third flap including afree distal end, an inside surface and an outside surface.
 30. A garmentas recited in claim 30, wherein each of the first flap, the second flap,and the third flap has an inside surface and an outside surface, whereinthe outside surface of one of the second flap or the third flap includeshook fasteners or loop fasteners and the inside surface of the other ofthe second flap or the third flap includes the other of hook fastenersor loop fasteners, wherein the outside surface of the other of thesecond flap or the third flap includes hook fasteners or loop fastenersand the inside surface of the first flap includes the other of hookfasteners or loop fasteners, and wherein when the garment is worn by theanimal and the first flap, the second flap, and the third flap arefastened together the hook fasteners and the loop fasteners aresubstantially adjacent to each other such that the second flap isfastened to the third flap and the first flap is fastened to the otherof the fastened second flap or the third flap.